The Outer Worlds 2 review – a bigger, bolder space-set RPG more confident in its satirical ideas
Obsidian follows up its 2019 spiritual successor to Fallout: New Vegas with another sci-fi adventure that is grander in scope but just as meaningful with its RPG systems.
The Outer Worlds 2 might not change the RPG rulebook much from the first game, but it works well to balance the same great satirical sci-fi ideas with improved decision-making, gunplay, and worlds to explore.
In the realm of Western RPGs, Obsidian Entertainment is a studio that rarely misses. The very first The Outer Worlds from 2019 was a great example of this. Building off its time and experience working on the beloved Fallout: New Vegas, its spiritual sequel presented a new sci-fi universe that felt confident in its satirical ideas, featured solid role-playing systems, and had several memorable companions. Where on Earth do you take the sequel, then?
Turns out the answer is a whole different galaxy. One that is bigger and more ambitious, yes, but full of the same kind of moral decisions that promise to have a large impact on surrounding events. Bigger isn't always better, of course, but with The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian has found a good balance. It makes for a sequel that, while not exactly surprising or unexpected, offers a joyful space adventure full of interesting stories to get lost in.
It won't take long for returning players to see where The Outer Worlds 2 improves leaps and bounds over its predecessor. Simply put, the jump in console generations has been very kind to the way the sequel looks and feels in its scale compared to before, with worlds this time around serving as more varied and expansive locations to trek across.
Locations in the first game could be teeming with life and micro-communities to mix in with, sure enough, yet I never believed the likes of Edgewater and Stellar Bay were real places I could live or exist in after I was done ticking off the tasks found in each. The Outer Worlds 2 does much to remedy this.
You play as a relapsed commander of the money-for-hire Earth Directorate chasing someone who wronged you across the new Arcadia galaxy in search of answers. Such a premise might sound uninspired but the way you go about experiencing this journey certainly isn’t. Planets like Dorado and Eden feature larger map sizes that feel generous without ever becoming overbearing.
Several times I found that some of my favourite moments exploring them were those I accidentally bumped into unintentionally. The den of a hidden-away cult intent on worshipping mysterious rifts, a Protectorate commander who has gone rogue and taken over an old mining facility for himself… The Outer Worlds 2 keeps you guessing with a string of unique opportunities waiting for you to uncover.
All these wider narratives and micro stories would mean nothing, of course, were the RPG-ness of it all severely lacking. Luckily, this is far from the case. After selecting your customisable commander’s desired look, starting skills, traits, and background, you immediately start to feel their influence on both the dialogue options you can choose from and the types of routes you can take in the world.
For instance, I chose to give my Commander the Renegade background, resulting in the ability to more easily intimidate important NPCs when necessary and just generally take a more ‘gung-ho’ attitude to most of the significant moral quandaries I came across.
Not being able to pull all data off computers without a high enough Hack skill or stealth kill enemies without pouring adequate points into Sneak is video games 101 in the RPG realm. And yet, such navigational roadblocks were things I didn’t mind having to overcome if it meant being able to weasel my way out of difficult dialogue scenarios or inspired by two equipped companions, better though a high Leadership rating.
The Outer Worlds 2 might look and play like more of an FPS than the first game did, but don’t be fooled, this is still an RPG through and through. Choices are regularly rewarded, often in unexpected and surprising ways.
Auntie knows best
Speaking of combat, and just how great guns and weapons now handle, played a huge role in my decision to play as a Renegade. Popping off shots in first-person worked well enough in the first game, yet it always felt a tad floaty. Here, there’s no such thing.
Whether I was chipping away at enemy mechs using my corrosive repeater rifle or gunning down Protectorate commandos using my makeshift shock cannon, using cover, aiming down sights, and even firing from the hip all feels so much more responsive and helps give firefights in The Outer Worlds 2 a newfound intensity.
Melee weapons, by comparison, still feel a little floaty, yet this didn’t end up mattering too much since I shaped my Renegade commander to always work best when going loud and approaching fights at range.
Obviously, a huge part of any RPG, at least in the modern sense, are the companions you can take with you. This is an area both Obsidian and BioWare have pretty much perfected in prior games, so it shouldn’t be a shock to learn there’s a decent selection here.
From your trusty Earth Directorate rookie, Niles, who’s always on hand to lay down suppressing fire as well as function as a walking, talking workbench able to craft ammo and mods, to the sneaky, stealth antics of Aza who can in effect see between realities, all six have their benefits. Easily the weakest of the bunch is Val, serving as your fairly standard C-3PO substitute, which means she doesn’t have much of a personality to offer. Even then, though, her ability to heal you instantly saved my butt more than once in the early game.
I wouldn’t say that any of The Outer Worlds 2’s companions struck as much of a chord with me as Parvati from the first game, yet all have their bespoke strengths and worthwhile quests worth pursuing. And better yet, they’re all a substantial improvement over the four featured in Avowed, Obsidian’s last game, from earlier this year.
None of them have overbearing personalities or voice lines that make them a chore to have around. Aside from Val who you’re forced to have with you initially, the likes of Tristan, Aza, and Inez are all distinct and make for the perfect crew of ragtag misfits.
For all its brilliance, there are a few minor areas where The Outer Worlds 2 feels undercooked. The melee combat, as previously mentioned, doesn’t feel as tight as the studio’s own Avowed. More disappointing, however, is the newly introduced Flaws system, which in theory should work to help you make your Commander more unique. It’s essentially a way to implement handicaps on yourself in one aspect in exchange for a slight boost in another.
Gluttony, for example, will reduce your combat speed to make food items more effective. Dependant, meanwhile, sees your companions do 20% more damage, if you’re willing to do 10% less. I personally never felt like any of the trade-offs were worth it. But I do commend Obsidian for finding a way to indulge masochist players in a way that suits the satirical nature of this universe.
In pretty much every way, The Outer Worlds 2 is a bigger, better, and more refined version of the satirical sci-fi RPG it was always intended to be. It’s a sequel that definitely benefits from the solid foundation Obsidian laid down before, building on the already excellent RPG elements previously seen to tell a simple but effective story about government tyranny smashing against capitalist greed, and how it potentially effects the people caught in between who are forced to deal with the, ahem, fallout.
Which side you serve and how you choose to do it make for a fun, planet-hopping ride, which, when combined with improved gunplay and notable small stories, renders The Outer Worlds 2 a worthwhile RPG adventure.
Rating: 4/5